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rug home cleaning

Area rugs are home investments that should be taken cared for on a regular basis. It adds aesthetic value to your home. It provides harmony and warmth. You can even sit on it while watching TV or when having a slumber party. It offers a lot of benefits and home advantages. It is not something that you just throw on the floor and forget that it exists.

In order to make sure that the rug you just bought will last, proper maintenance and care must be provided. Though it is nice to know that there are professionals ready to help you with cleaning your rugs, it is still a must that you give it a regular cleaning at home to avoid dust and debris to set on it. It is for this reason that this article is written. Here are the things that you can do to give your rugs a proper cleaning at home.

The things that you need are as follows:

Water (lots of it)

Squeegee

Soft brush

Bucket

Sponge

Rubber Gloves (it’s okay if you don’t have one)

Rug Shampoo (of your choosing). Or in the absence of it, you can use a mild detergent.

Vacuum

Here are the steps you need to follow:

Step 1. Prepare your rug. The first thing you need to do is vacuum clean your rug so that most of the dirt, dust, particles, and debris are lifted and removed from it. This will make water cleaning your rug less messy.

Step 2. Test if your rug is colorfast. If you have bought a cleaning solution for your rug cleaning, then just follow the mixing instructions on it. Also, you may want to take into account the cleaning instructions that came with your rug. You can sometimes see one attached at the back side of the rug. Most of the rugs come with cleaning instructions. It will detail what products to be avoided and the things you can do to properly clean it. Make sure that the cleaning solution you bought will not harm the fibers of your rug.

After mixing your cleaning solution, try it first on one small portion of the rug. Check if the rug color will run or bleed. If it does, you may want to change your cleaning solution or contact a professional cleaner to do it for you (just to be safe).

Step 3. Apply rug shampoo or detergent. After making sure that your rug is colorfast (does not bleed), you can then lather your rug with the rug shampoo that you just bought or a mild detergent available at hand. Let the solution set on the rug for several minutes before you rinse it. When you lather the rug with the shampoo or detergent using a brush or sponge, make sure that it is lathered deeply.

Step 4. Rinsing your rug. Given that you have your rug outside your home for the cleaning, you can rinse the rug using a water hose. If a water hose is not available, you can use your bucket and fill it with water. You can stop rinsing the rug the moment the water does not show shampoo or detergent bubbles.

Step 5. Remove excess water. After rinsing, you have to make sure that excess water is squeezed out of your rug. Squeeze as much as you can. This will help your rug dry faster.

Step 6. Dry your rug. Make sure that your rug is dried out. You can lay your rug flat on your patio floor or anywhere that it will be exposed to the sun. Make sure that you expose both sides of the rug by flipping it now and then. Make sure both sides are really dry to avoid mold or mildew formation.

Step 7. Loosen it. The last thing that you need to do in this process is loosening the fibers of the rug. You can do this with a soft bristled brush. You can also use your vacuum to achieve the same effect. Once this is done, you can place the rug again inside your home.

You don’t really have to wash your rugs on a weekly basis. You can do this when noticeable dirt and dust have set on your floor when you lift one corner. Or if you notice a bad odor coming from your rug, then it is time to give it a thorough washing.